Growing From Within

Growth comes in so many different forms, and sometimes when we least expect it. As we build a sense of community in our congregations, we develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with our fellow members. We grow internally through the inspiration, courage, optimism and faith of those around us. We learn to be open to what others have to teach us and, in so doing, we become wiser, more compassionate and more committed to our wonderful Unitarian Universalist faith.

Let me tell you about my friend Leah. I met her at General Assembly in Charlotte this past June. Leah is a bright, enthusiastic and engaging young woman who recently turned 16. She lives in Wisconsin and is a life long member of First Unitarian Society of Madison. Leah also has cerebral palsy and a cortical visual impairment which requires that she use her peripheral vision to see people and objects. During the school year, Leah attends the Wisconsin School for the Blind in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Perhaps her greatest passion, in addition to her family of course, is participating as a member of the Scouts. This past month, Leah attended the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. She told me that there were 40,000 scouts in attendance from 146 countries (and only two scouts who used wheelchairs, one of which was Leah!). She told me that she engaged in every activity during the Jamboree including the obstacle course, with, as she admits, “a little bit of enthusiastic help.” She also got to do something that few others had the chance to do. She met and talked with the King of Sweden who was attending the Jamboree as well. Leah told me that she traded shirts with girls from Portugal and Bangladesh; exchanged presents with troops from Malawi, Mauritius, Ghana and Kenya, and met a five year old boy from Sweden who also used a wheelchair, advising him that Scouts is “for everyone. Not just people who can walk.”

Back at home, Leah is working on a project to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. She is creating a page on her congregation’s web site expressly for visitors and members with special needs. It offers instructions on how to navigate the building, advises which areas are accessible and not accessible, and addresses the needs of children with special needs and people with physical limitations, chemical sensitivities, and mental health issues. It is quite a piece of work and serves as testament not only to Leah’s commitment to people with differing abilities, but that of the Madison congregation as well. The page is in its final draft form now and should be going live in the next few weeks.

When I asked Leah what she likes most about being a Unitarian Universalist, she said, “taking the Coming of Age class to learn more about myself and our church.” She enjoys the church school programming and the efforts of her congregation to make her a “regular part of the activities.” For the presentation of her Coming of Age faith statement, Leah recorded it sentence by sentence and sat proudly as her teachers played the recording during the service. Leah’s advice to other Unitarian Universalists with special needs? “The person is first and the disability is second.”

As Unitarian Universalists, we grow… one relationship at a time. We receive from one another and we give back. We share together our hopes and dreams, our disappointments and our challenges. And by this, we live. Thanks Leah, and Lori, the Faithful Scribe, for helping me to grow. As far as I’m concerned, Leah, you’ve already earned that Gold Award.

Mark Bernstein
CERG Growth Development Consultant and UUA Liaison to Issues in Accessibility and Disability